Minnesota History Center – Drainage Improvements

Our team collaborated with the lead architect, MN History Center staff, State of MN, the land surveyor and various contractors to complete this drainage improvement project within an outdoor area that was flooding part of the basement because of undersized storm drains and pipes. To solve this flooding problem, we created a stormwater system including a primary trench drain and an overflow area drain with larger stormwater pipes to effectively manage stormwater without flooding the basement. We worked together with the architect, State of MN and MN History Center staff to successfully plan, design, approve, bid and install this project in late 2014.

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Project Overview

Client: State of Minnesota
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Services: Site Analysis, Hydrology & Stormwater Modeling, Civil Engineering, Permitting & Regulatory Approvals, Construction Administration

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Challenges

Existing plaza contained undersized area drains and stormwater pipes that backed up several times each year, which was flooding part of the basement and causing ongoing damage to the building’s interior.
Construction occurred during the fall months when there are several dozen daily visitors and groups, which made the construction staging challenging because the crews had to avoid blocking traffic or disturbing the visitors.
There were several large (4 ’x 4’ x 3” thick) granite pavers that weighed over 600 pounds each that needed to be removed, cut into smaller pieces and then reinstalled, which was very difficult for the construction crew.

Solution and Results

We provided the site analysis, stormwater modeling, design/engineering, regulatory assistance, construction administration and close-out services to effectively complete this drainage improvements project. Our team designed a system that included a primary trench drain plus an overflow area drain to greatly reduce the potential for future flooding.

Provided a “belt and suspenders” approach that included primary and secondary drains for increased drainage capacity.
Worked with the lead contractor to saw cut the large (4’ x 4’ each) granite pieces into smaller (2’ x 2’ each) pieces so they can be moved more easily if needed in the future.
Created a stormwater system that effectively mitigates the previous flooding problem while also providing a connection point for a potential building expansion in the future.